The Benue State Police Command has described the death of a French tourist, Pietier Gilles, in a hotel room located in the Gboko area of the state as unnatural.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, Udeme Edet, disclosed this in an exclusive conversation with our correspondent on Monday.

The incident happened on Saturday at the Hotel Jovina, where he had lodged on June 6 before he fell ill, but refused to go to the clinic.

As his sickness continued to worsen, the hotel management called in a medical practitioner for examination, but he was found dead.

Giving an update exclusively on the incident, on Monday, Edet disclosed that the tourist’s death was sudden and unnatural.

She added that upon receiving information about the incident, police operatives visited the hotel and rushed the victim to the hospital.

The PPRO noted that he was, however, confirmed dead at the hospital.

She said, “It is a case of a SUD (sudden and unnatural death). When the police got the call, we immediately arrived at the scene, and he was rushed to the hospital, where he was confirmed dead.

“The case has been transferred to the state CID for further investigation.”

When contacted for more details on the incident, the manager of the hotel, Amina Cordial, said she was in transit returning to Gboko.

“I have not been around because I travelled out of town and I am just returning to Gboko. So, I don’t have details of the incident.

“But the owner of the hotel is around and must have done all what it is needed to be done,” Cordial said.

She however declined to release the contact of the hotel owner when our correspondent requested it.

It was however gathered that the French national who was a tourist lodged in the hotel on Friday but took ill on Saturday and declined to be taken to a hospital. (Excerpted from a report by The PUNCH)